The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-16
A CENTURY OF AMERICAN LAW.
Substance of an Address Before the Alabama
Bar Association by Judge J. E. Dillon.

MONTGOMERY, Dec 15.-The Alabama State
Bar Association met here to-day. The annual
address was delivered by Judge John F. Dillon,
of New YORK. He said as this is the centennial
year of the sdoption of the federal he
bad selecte3 his subject "A Century of Ameri-
can Law" After retrospect of the general sit
uation, and coming TO view of the condition of
English and American law one hundred years
ago, he said it was a time faithfully mirrored in
Blackstone's Com the first mpIete d
riition of which was published Just six years
before the American revolution. After advert
ing to the baneful effect of the feudal system
upon the English law, part of which only
had escaped, he noticed the following changes
upon subjects of general and permanent i'm
portance within the century. Imprisonment
for debt had been abolished in both Great
Britain and America, and in this legislation
America had led the way. By way of contrast
he alluded to the modern liberal exemption and
homestead laws of the several States aud of the
national government Under the beneficent OBJ
grafton of the iatters act more than 1O0, 900
acres of land bad been entered by $50. 900 heads
of families. He next adverted to the great and
beneficial changes made within the last fifty
years in respect of the rights of married women.
The principle of American married womens
protective acts was, in 1870 and In 1882, adopted
by the English Parliament Referring to the
criminal laws OF England one hundred years
ago, he showed that at that time two hun
dred offenses were capital felonies.
and that the laws were otherwise
oppressive and severe. They have been grad
ually ameliorated, that at this time only four
offenses captally punishable in England,
and only two in this country. He noticed the
abolition of the commons forms of action
and of peadiDgs. and the changes made by the
codes Of procedure in this country and BY the
British judicature act of 1873 adopting the prin-
ciDle of the American codes) among the most
salutary reforms in the law. lamentations in
the law of evidence, by which all persons,
including parties the suit have been
made competent witnesses, were regarded a
great Improvement in legal administration, in
which England had led the way and had fol-
lowed. The growth of corporations and of
porate litigation was dwelt upon at length, and
che modern reported cases involve corporation
law. He next traced the growth of legal litera-
ture in this country. A century ago we had
American law books. In 1856, we had published
g. 798 volumes of reports, against $500 in
England. Turning to the century to come.
he predicted various changes in internal
and municipal law. among which would be the
abolition of literary piracy and a systematic g.
statement of the body of our laws. He appealed
30 young men to take this great work, and
concluded by saying: ''Mayhap some young man
hears me to-day. gifted beyond the common lot,
with an eye eouched TO that wider and higher
sweep that will take in all the constructive pos
siblIties of the rich and scattered materials of
our laws and be fortunate to leave upon
the massive, imposing, ever advancing but i'm
perishabe structure of our Jurisprudence, some
visible imprint some embodied memorial of his
genius, well Of his labors."